Aspects of the present invention relate, in general, to adjusting the volume of the audio output for an application executing on a computing system, and more particularly, to methods and systems for automatically adjusting the volume for multiple applications.
A user of a computing system often runs multiple applications simultaneously. These applications often produce either an audio output that is sent to a number of speakers or receive an audio input from a microphone. Some applications, such as music and other media players, typically produce a steady stream of sound. Alternatively, some applications only occasionally produce a sound. For example, some applications only produce a sound as an alert or response to a user action.
While using these applications, it can be difficult for a user to manage the volume settings for each application manually. For example, there are times when the user may wish to lower the volume on one application in favor of another. This is particularly the case for voice communication applications. For example, when the user is communicating with another person through a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application, the user may wish to reduce or mute the volume for the other applications.